Scarlet Heavens
by Kylunethil
Summary: Updated on 5/21/2014: Jellal is imprisoned in the Era Dungeons, waiting for some spark of hope to be set free. However, a Rune Knight lets slip that Fairy Tail has disappeared. Set at the end of the Tenrou arc, moderately non-canon..ish. Enjoy! *Rated T just to be safe.*
1. Prologue: Scarlet Heavens

**Chapter 1: Prologue: Scarlet Heavens**

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><p><em><strong>AN:**_ _When an entire section of text is italicized, it means that that part is a flashback._

Enjoy!

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail. I just love it. All copyrights belong to Hiro Mashima.**

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><p><strong>Prologue: Scarlet Heavens<strong>

The dungeons of Era are not very well known. Their presence is indeed shrouded in mystery, as the Magic Council tightens its lips concerning matters about enemies of the state. What is known, however, is that the wards that are strewn throughout Era Undertown limit the effectiveness of magic within the border. It can be deduced that, on occasion, mages are held prisoner. However, what is captivity to those who can bend reality to their will?

Running a hand through his indigo hair, Jellal absently traced the tattoo around his right eye as he mentally chalked up the amount of time he had spent in this cold stone cell. He concluded that it had been a fortnight since 4th Custody Enforcement Unit Head Lahar had left him here with only his murky thoughts as company. Footsteps echoed through the dank hallway outside of his cell as a pair of Rune Knights made their rounds for the day. He could dimly hear the sound of two buckets thumping against the flagstones as the Knights stopped in front of each cell. As they drew nearer, Jellal was able to make out parts of their conversation.

"…and just how many times did Ryn fall off of his stool? He's the main reason why we aren't allowed to have alcohol anymore when we're off-duty!" The first voice grumbled.

"A few times, I suppose. However, you were the one who egged him on, Kal. He mentioned as much to that busybody, Lahar." The second voice dryly remarked.

"Bah, you were the one who told me to do it in the first place, Ian! Anyways, help me with the buckets. I'm starting to get tired." Kal sighed.

Jellal tuned out the guards, preferring the disquiet of his own thoughts to the antics of the two novice Knights. Sitting up, he held his arms out in front of his body, watching with disinterest as the shackles slipped around his slim wrists. Sighing, he clasped both hands together in a reverse grip and stretched until his knuckles popped. Lying back down, he waited for the guards to reach his cell.

In short order, the footsteps finally came to a halt outside of his cell. He looked up and found that both of the Knights were staring at him with expressions ranging from pity to loathing. The taller one pressed his left hand against the wall next to the cell door and waited for the rune barrier to fully materialize before making a negating motion. As the barrier dissolved, the shorter Knight called into existence a tray that contained utensils, a bowl, and a cup. Pouring a thick gruel-like substance from the first bucket into the bowl, he then dipped a ladle into the second bucket and held it above the cup before speaking.

"We know who you are, Jellal. It isn't every day that a former Wizard Saint ends up as a prisoner in this dungeon. Tell me, how does it make you feel to have to slowly wither away each day in here, while we're free to walk around as we please?" Ian snorted in derision.

Jellal gave Ian a blank look before rubbing his eyes and yawning. Ian growled underneath his breath as he poured the water into the cup, roughly shoving the tray through the slot at the base of the cell door. Jellal slid the tray closer towards himself with his foot before sitting back on the bed and staring at the ceiling.

Kal stated, "Well, it's not exactly as if he has anything to live for. All that ambition and yet it didn't lead him anywhere." He shook his head before adding, "It's a shame, actually. He had plenty of potential to help the world, but chose instead to follow the path of darkness."

Ian rolled his eyes before chuckling, "Yes, as if he would've been able to do anything else when he was wrapped around Ultear's finger. Too bad about his pals from Fairy Tail, however.."

Jellal jumped up and stared at Ian, clenching his fists, before stuttering, "Wha.. What happened?"

. Ian cocked his head and continued, "Oh, I suppose that nobody felt the need to mention it to you, then. An island upon which Fairy Tail's most powerful members were training was blasted into oblivion by a dragon believed to be called Acnologia."

Kal studied Jellal for a few moments before adding, "The known list of members on the island include: Makarov Dreyer, Lucy Heartphilia, Natsu Dragneel (Ian chuckled at this.), Mirajane Strauss, and Erza Scarlet."

Jellal's eyes widened as he gasped, "Er.. Erza?! This can't be happeni.."

Ian cut in ruthlessly with a merciless gleam in his eyes, "Oh, yes. They were all taken unawares, apparently. Don't expect to see them again. Even Erza, the Fairy Queen, was unable to stand against something. Now you have no hope of seeing her again!"

Jellal's eyes dilated as he murmured to himself, "No.. Erza..?"

Kal paused in the act of berating Ian as he became aware of a powerful magical force building up within the cell. Hastily gesturing at the cell door, he barked, "Rune Lock: Magic Dampen!" before cupping both hands in front of himself and slicing in opposite directions. The cell door flared with a coruscating white light as the runes took hold.

Kal howled, "We need reinforcements! I won't be able to contain him! Run, Ian!" Ian took one last look at the interior of the cell before running through the wall, his runes transporting him to the 1st Detention Unit's headquarters down the hallway.

Jellal rigidly stood up, glowing with a holy golden aura that grew brighter with every passing breath. Rune tendrils started to drift towards him, but were burned away in the overwhelming fury of his power. Kal exerted more force over his rune barrier, sweat starting to slide down his forehead. Jellal's aura steadily ate away at the barrier, white light and gold clashing in spurts of flaming sparks. Finally, Jellal clasped both hands together as if in prayer and commanded, "Heavenly Body Magic: Abyssal Flux!"

His aura condensed into a midnight purple and sun-touched gold orb that rested above the palm of his right hand. He spun once on his heels and launched the Flux Orb at the cell door. Upon contact, the cell door simply dissolved and the runes exploded in a violent shower of sparks. Kal was blasted against the opposite wall and slid onto his side, laboring for breath. Jellal stalked closer towards him, his eyes hidden in the shadows of his hair.

Bending down, Jellal whispered to Kal, "I will not harm you any further. However, I will be leaving this place."

Kal stretched his hand out and formed a rune barrier around Jellal. Jellal scoffed and raised his hand to break the barrier down. Voices raised in anger abruptly filtered down the hallway as a battalion of Rune Knights ran towards Jellal, Lahar and Ian leading the way. Sighing, he spread his hands to his sides and envisioned a special grove outside of Hosenka Town.

His palms began to glow with a soft blue light as he rapidly chanted under his breath, "My soul shall be whole/ My spirit is as one/ As one part splits into many/ Many become as one!"

The rune barrier shattered as a gaseous form flew from Jellal's hands and shot through the dungeon wall. He watched with his mind's eye as the gas took on his form and began to solidify. Stepping down into the grove, Jellal pressed both hands against his chest and finished with, "My power shall be split in twain/ Oh, avatar of mine, become as one with me!"

His spirit body grew cold as part of his magical power was wrenched from his physical body and implanted into the thought projection. Looking up through the eyes of his original body, he noticed that Lahar was only a few feet away. Clasping his hands together, he finished molding the bond with his avatar and waited for Lahar to subdue him. In a less than a breath, Jellal was suspended in midair, his magical force completely leaching away from him as Lahar snarled, "Magic Drain: Spellshear!"

Jellal's eyes clouded over as he began to lose consciousness. The last image that his mind processed before he slipped into darkness was Lahar linking with the other Knights and forming some type of rune barrier.

Jellal slowly became aware of a metallic screech coming from somewhere close by. Gingerly cracking open his eyes, he found that he was suspended from the wall by a series of crystal chains. Lahar was standing below him, placing a steel-tipped torch into its holster in the middle of the chamber. Glaring at Jellal with an infinitesimal amount of ire, Lahar walked towards the only door in the chamber, opening it with the touch of his hand. Pausing in the doorway, he turned around and faced Jellal.

Lahar stared at Jellal for a few brief seconds before quietly stating, "You will stay here until the Magic Council decides on what to do with you. You will be fed each day, but your magic will not come back whilst you reside in this chamber. Goodbye, Ex-Saint Jellal."

With that, Lahar walked through the door and closed it. The portal faded away and all that Jellal was left to look at was a blank wall of dark rock. Looking closer, he watched the torchlight flicker and dance across the grey slate floor. It illuminated scarlet swirls that wove their way through the rest of the rock, twisting around until fading back into grey. Closing his eyes, he sighed and let his memories take hold of him as he synchronized with his thought projection.

_Jellal looked at the umber-eyed waif with an appraising eye as he asked, "What's your name?"_

_The girl looked up at him with shadowed eyes as she softly replied, "Erza."_

_Jellal muttered, "Just Erza?"_

_The girl nodded, lowering her head back down and staring at the rough stone floor. Jellal cocked an eyebrow at her and scratched his chin in thought. He appeared to be deep in thought for a few moments before walking over to her and grabbing a lock of her hair. He snapped his fingers before saying, "Oh!"_

_Erza blushed slightly before asking, "What?"_

_Jellal grinned at her as he stated, "I know your name! Your hair is a pretty scarlet, so I'll call you Erza Scarlet from now on!"_

_Erza's face became drawn in thought as she mumbled, "Erza.. Scarlet..?"_

_Jellal opened his mouth to apologize, but Erza jumped up and happily exclaimed, "I love it!"_

Jellal sat down in the grove and watched as several shooting stars passed overhead, long streaks of shimmering dust trailing in their wake as they blazed across the night sky. The moon hung low, making it seem as if the landscape was bathed in weak winter sunlight. He turned his head towards Era, where he could still feel his original body chained to the wall. _Maybe now, I'll be able to make amends_, he thought. As a series of fireworks burst out from the town nearby, Jellal's attention was immediately drawn to a scarlet sunburst that exploded off to the side. It slowly revolved in midair before splitting into a series of swords that all revolved around a center point. After a few moments, each of the blades lit up for one final cycle before dissipating into the crisp night air. He could barely make out scattered applause from the town.

He closed his eyes and softly breathed out, "Erza.."

Opening his eyes, he held out his left hand and willed his power to flow through him. A pale golden flame flickered above his outstretched hand for a heartbeat before fading away. Sighing, he faced towards where he knew Magnolia was located and began to walk along the path. _I know that my power is currently negligible, but I'll be able to harness more over time, _Jellal ruminated.

Pressing a hand over his heart, Jellal vowed, "I'm coming for you, Erza."

_I will save you._

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><p><em>-cough- I wasn't confused about the genres that I set for this story. I'm just setting up everything that will happen in the future! XD<em>

_Oh, and I'm making it so that Hosenka Town is copying Akane Resort and setting off fireworks every couple of nights (...annnnd Akane Resort started it after Erza sent off her friends after the Tower of Heaven incident). Jellal just managed to arrive at the right time!_

_If anybody noticed, I kinda made up new skills for Jellal. Expect the other characters to gain new skills, too. Rawr._

So, the new skill(s) so far are:

Heavenly Body Magic: Abyssal Flux _- Combines the power of light and darkness to nullify (or dissolve) certain materials._

_A/N # 2: (May 21st 2014) I'm changing the story to now occur when FT gets blasted by Acnologia, rather than when Magnolia gets sucked into the Anima. I can't remember where I was going with the original storyline, and this one fits better, I do believe!_


	2. A Feast and a Task

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail. Hiro Mashima does!**

After spending the night in meditation, Jellal ended his ritual and faced towards the rising sun, basking in its warmth. He held out both hands in front of his body and willed his magic to form. A pale golden ball of energy materialized above both palms, flickering with each heartbeat. Jellal sighed ruefully as he thought, _to think that a former Wizard Saint could have such an inordinately large amount of trouble trying to conjure some simple Fairy Lights._

Furrowing his brows, Jellal attempted to fuse the Fairy Lights into a single orb. Bringing his palms close to his chest, he clasped his fingers together and steepled his thumbs, concentrating on the erratically pulsing lights. As the minutes wore on, his forehead grew slightly damp and a vein bulged outward. After a quarter of an hour, Jellal finally tensed his fingers and telekinetically pushed the orbs through each other, binding them into a singular orb.

Gazing upon the now completed Fairy Lantern, Jellal grinned as he bounced it on his palm. Unfortunately, this moment was short-lived as the magic drain proved to be too prodigious for him to congratulate himself for more than a few seconds before his magic dwindled and the lantern abruptly winked out, its backlash knocking him to the ground. Shaking his head dazedly, he felt something warm sliding down his mouth. Touching his fingers to his lips and drawing them back to observe blood, he concluded that he had a nosebleed.

"Of all the.. I can't believe that I'm still this weak!" Jellal grumbled to himself.

Ripping a piece of cloth from the hem of his roughspun prisoner's tunic, he dabbed at his nose to soak up the blood. After checking to make sure that it had stopped bleeding, he stuffed the soiled scrap of cloth in his pocket and stood, trembling slightly. His stomach let out a loud rumble as he crossed his arms and leaned over. His stomach seemingly took offense to this, as it let an even louder growl.

"Apparently I need to eat something," He mused to himself, "I didn't think that the rules of male main figures applied to me!"

Shaking his head, Jellal uncrossed his arms and pushed himself into a standing position. Wavering considerably, he started to make his way towards Clover Town, stomach growling every couple of steps.

The first signs Jellal had of drawing closer to Clover Town were the sound and smell. A buzz of activity echoed through the outskirts of the forest as hammers smacked against recalcitrant wooden boards and various people tried to yell over the ruckus. The pungent smell of hewn spruce lingered along the forest line, with traces of pine flittering throughout. Jellal snuffled as a gust of wind caked his face with a thick layer of sawdust. Rubbing his nose, he stopped limping towards the town and finally sneezed, blowing half of the leaves off of a nearby bush. He stared at the leaves as they spiraled to the ground and sighed before continuing on.

The Guild Master's Hall, which Fairy Tail had inadvertently destroyed several months prior during a botched mission, was well under reconstruction. A pond surrounded the wooden frame of the main building and lapped at its stone foundation, lily pads pushing against each other as the breeze flowed across the water. Three towers branched off from the main building and spiraled towards the air, seemingly touching the sky. A rounded bridge of dark granite led right up to the entry hall and ended at its marble archway. Jellal took in the sight for a few minutes before stumbling over to the workman's tavern that lay a considerable distance down the road.

Upon pushing the slatted wood door open, Jellal found himself in a clean and softly lit common room, burgundy polished oak chairs and tables situated throughout it. A fireplace covered with a linen sheet dominated the left part of the room; while a set of stairs leading to the inn rooms were situated on the right side. The door to the kitchen was located behind the bar, or so Jellal assumed, since he could smell bread baking and hear the swift clatter of a knife against a cutting board coming through said door. The innkeeper stood behind the low bar, polishing several glass tankards with a relatively clean cloth. His eyes narrowed slightly upon seeing Jellal's threadbare clothes, thinking him a vagrant of some kind.

"Hello, good sir!" The innkeeper grunted. "My name is Suji and it is my pleasure to welcome you to the Fairy Wing Tavern!"

Jellal blinked at this. The sign outside the tavern hadn't looked anything like a pair of wings!

Jellal replied, "Thank you for your welcome! My name is.. Sieg, and I recently escaped from the prison of a dark guild that is known as the Ebon Whisper. I was wondering if I would be able to assist you with things around the tavern in exchange for some food and new clothes."

Suji gave a start and set the tankard he had been cleaning down, throwing the cleaning rag over his shoulder. "By all the Council! Yes, sir, I can help you out in that regard! I too have been held captive in the past, and it isn't something that I would wish upon anybody else!" Holding up a hand to Jellal, he excused himself and made his way to the kitchen.

Jellal slumped onto a stool at the bar and absently traced the grain of the wood, losing himself in the whorls for a brief moment. He tensed as the kitchen door banged open and the innkeeper bustled out, holding a steaming tray of venison in one hand, a bowl of blue lettuce and orange tomatoes in the other, and a hunk of grain-dotted bread in the crook of his arm. Gliding over to where Jellal was sitting, he plunked the feast down in front of him.

Jellal's eyes widened as he stuttered, "B-but, this is too much food! I need to help you before I can accept any-.."

Suji's eyes flashed as he poked Jellal in the chest and stated quite plainly, but with an air of certainty, "Eat. Now. There will be time later for chatting."

Jellal bowed his head and mumbled, "Thank you," before digging into the food with a vengeance. The innkeeper clicked his tongue and continued to polish the tankards, glancing at Jellal every now and then to make sure that he was still eating. Grabbing a water lacrima hose, he touched the tip of it against one of the tankards and filled it up, setting the tankard next to Jellal, then went back to polishing the rest of the mugs.

By the time he finished cleaning the last tankard, raising it to eye level and critically observing if there were any smudges hidden on it, Jellal had finally scarfed down the last bit of his meal. Suji grinned as Jellal sighed in contentment and washed his meal down with the tankard of water. Gathering up the dishes, he excused himself again and took them into the kitchen to be cleaned. Jellal stretched upon the stool and stood up, finally feeling well enough to walk more than a few steps without passing out. He paced the length of the bar while he waited for the innkeeper to come back out.

After a few moments, Suji shouldered open the door and said, "Well, you look ten times better than you did when you walked in the door earlier, Sieg! I have a small task for you, if you wouldn't mind."

Jellal nodded and asked, "What do you require? I would be more than happy to help!"

Suji grinned and pointed at the fireplace. "Know anything about fixing fire lacrimas?"

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><p><strong>AN:** Wow! It's been a long time since I've been able to write anything. I think that this chapter turned out fairly well, even though it's been... awhile since I last updated this story. I think I'm starting to remember where I was going with the plot, too! YAY!

In any case, thank you for being patient with me, kind reviewers/readers, whilst I continue to work on this story! (I'm going to start building up to longer chapters, methinks.)

It's currently 2:12 AM where I live and I have a final in less than five hours, so I'm going to get back to studying. I might write another chapter this week, too! Here's to hoping! =D


	3. Lachrymal Fire

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail.**

"Fire lacrimas, eh? I know a thing or two about them, yes. I have more experience with pure fire itself, though." Jellal's voice trailed off as he remembered a fight with a certain pink-haired Dragon Slayer. He shook his head, as if to knock the memories out for the time being, before asking Suji, "What assistance do you require?"

Suji motioned for Jellal to follow him over to the fireplace and stood next to it, gently sliding the sheet off of the mantle. A row of fire lacrimas filled the bottom groove within the fireplace, fitfully sparking every other second. Cracks spiderwebbed across the surface of each lacrima and in parts were split open slightly, allowing the residual heat from the scarlet flame within each lacrima to escape, furthering widening the cracks. A shattered tankard lay strewn about behind the row of lacrimas.

"Did somebody throw a tankard into the lacrima fireplace?" Jellal asked, his eyebrows arching in surprise.

Suji sighed and grumbled, "Yes, and then hightailed it out of the common room. The worker was drunk and thought it would be funny to try and make the flames larger. I bought these lacrimas for their safety feature, however, which stated that they 'had a 99% chance of only cracking when smashed, rather than.. exploding.' Explosions would've been rather bad."

Jellal inspected the lacrimas even further, leaning in to better ascertain how to repair each one. Holding a hand over the row, he willed some of his magic to flow through and envelop each orb. A soft golden light rose from each crack on the lacrimas, pinpointing exactly where they were located. There appear to be more cracks than glass at the moment! Jellal wondered absently to himself. Allowing his magic to stay in place, Jellal turned on his heels to find Suji staring at him.

Suji's eyes were slightly widened as he exclaimed, "You're a mage?"

Jellal mentally smacked himself as he said, "Yes. I can barely do anything at the moment, unfortunately. The.. dark guild where I was held didn't give me very much in the way of food. This is about the extent of my abilities for now."

He was lying of course, since he could feel a larger reservoir of magic flowing through him than there had been just that morning. It must have been the meal he had ate such a short while ago!

Suji grunted, "Ah. Well, in any case, do you think that you can do anything with these lacrimas, or should I send for more?"

Jellal glanced at the lacrimas for a moment before replying, "Yes, I believe that I'll be able to fix them. I could reinforce each one, if you would wish, too. I'll just need one of your tankards."

Suji's face broke out in a grin, his eyes twinkling, "That would be most preferable, Master Sieg! Let me go grab one." Putting his words in action, Suji bustled over to the bar, snatched up a tankard, and walked back to Jellal. "Here you go!"

Jellal took the tankard with an appreciative murmur, waving his hands over the lacrimas again. Suji dragged a chair over and plopped onto it, watching Jellal in fascination. Jellal let go of the tankard and willed it over to the lacrimas, where it hung bobbing in the air. He swept his fingers over the shards of the broken tankard and caused each one to shatter into a pile of dust, then swirled his fingers in the air in a twisting motion. The glass dust rose in response, spiralling into a miniature tornado. Pushing with his mind, Jellal guided the dust onto each one of the lacrimas, their still glowing cracks becoming dimmer and dimmer as the dust melded with their jagged edges and stuck in place.

Twirling his fingers again, Jellal felt something warm once again start to drip from his nose. Wiping it irritably with the back of his hand, Jellal heard Suji shift slightly as he noticed the blood dripping down Jellal's hand. Rising silently, Suji grabbed a clean bar rag from his apron and tossed it to Jellal. Jellal caught it in midair without glancing behind himself and cleaned his hand, the rough cloth quickly sopping up the unabsorbed blood.

"Thanks, Suji. This is the price I pay for trying to force magic to do my bidding."

Suji sighed, his chair creaking as he shifted around on it. "Not a problem at all, Master Sieg. You should probably take a break and recover some more of your health. The tavern can get well enough along without the use of the fireplace for a bit longer."

Jellal turned his head back to Suji and grinned as he said, "If I stopped working on something every single time some minor thing happened to me, I would never get anything done!"

He turned back to the fireplace and concentrated on the fire lacrimas again, pretending not to hear Suji mumble, "Mulish youngster!" Twirling his fingers in a sweeping motion, as if he were following the ebb and flow of the ocean's tide, Jellal willed the unbroken tankard into seven different blobs of molten glass, drawing part of the heat required from the lacrimas themselves. He guided each cherry glass sphere to a separate lacrima and began to fuse them with each other, letting some of his magic flow from him in the form of golden wisps of flame. All of the flame wisps slid through the glass as if nothing were in their way and mingled with the scarlet flame within the lacrimas.

Each lacrima expanded slightly as the glass blobs from the tankard mixed with them, filling in every single crack and reinforcing the previously parchment-thin glass to the thickness of the tankard. Jellal focused a little bit more magic into each lacrima and watched as the two flames within each orb merged for a split second, drastically increasing the temperature. The innermost layer of glass within the lacrimas crystallized, forming a very faint patina that reflected a myriad of colors from the lights in the rest of the common room. Jellal let his magic fade away, already feeling the onset of lightheadedness that had been occurring ever since he had created his body projection. He punched one of the lacrimas with a closed fist and wasn't surprised to hear the clear 'Ping!' of the glass absorbing his blow, gradually fading into silence as a wind chime might.

He turned on his heels and sat down, knees unable to support him after he had been kneeling for so long and drew in a deep, shivering breath. Suji was staring at him in astonishment, eyebrows climbing towards his scalp. He had half risen out of his chair and kept on glancing between Jellal and the lacrimas, as if wondering how Jellal had had the skill level needed to even attempt such a feat. Jellal's eyes were half-lidded as he grinned at Suji, blood beginning to drip from his nose yet again. He grabbed the now pinkish bar rag and covered the lower part of his face with it and attempted to stand.

Suji shook his head as Jellal tipped over backwards, landing with a slight 'thump'. He stood up from his chair and squatted next to Jellal's head, throwing the rag back over Jellal's , he said in a wry tone, "Even I could have told you that that was going to happen, Master Sieg. I think you expended just a wee bit too much magic power."

Jellal groaned, eyes glazed over as he started to drift into unconsciousness. The last sight he beheld before slipping into the darkness was Suji holding an old wanted poster.. with his face plastered on it.

"Have a nice rest, Master Siegrain." Jellal's eyes closed, his final thoughts of scarlet hair.

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><p>I like cliffhangers, don't you? -gets pelted by pointy objects-<p>

All kidding aside.. Yay! I managed to write another chapter and actually have some modicum of fun whilst doing so! Let's see if I can manage to get another chapter out this week!

Review comment _imahappyperson_: Yup, this is currently a Jellal-centered fanfic. Kinda hard to completely obliterate the canon and have Erza pop out of Edolas to join him! =3 Once I figure out where the story is going to end (probably right before the Grand Magic Games arc, I suppose), I might change the main characters involved within the story. For now, though, I'm keeping it as Jellal and Erza (not paired, of course.. I don't want to go against the canon!).

I hope you all enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it! Until next time.. (Mebbe this week..?)


	4. A Dream of Ghostly Air

(May 21, 2014) Here's a birthday present from me to all of my readers!

_Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail._

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><p>Suji glanced from the wanted poster and back to Jellal's face. He let out an abject sigh and tucked the poster back into his apron with one hand, and running the other through his hair. <em>To think that such a powerful.. previously powerful man could be standing.. no, sitting in front of me within my own tavern!<em>

"The Mage Council would more than likely pay a hefty penny to learn of the whereabouts of an escaped convict.. especially one of the former Ten Wizard Saints and a Council member at that, too!" Suji mused to himself, envisioning the S-Class-esque jewel reward that had been printed on the wanted poster right beneath Jellal's portrait.

"Alas, even though he lied to me about being stuck in a dark guild's prison, I still can't bring myself to turn him in to the law," Suji continued musing to himself, eyes lost in thought, "I wouldn't want to lose the income or incur the wrath of any Fairy Tail members that happen to pass through here. Makarov spoke highly of one Jellal Fernandes the last time he was in here. Silly old fart."

Leaning over, Suji gathered Jellal into his arms and hung him over his shoulder. He made his way towards the stairs to the inn rooms and climbed up them, watching to make sure that he didn't accidentally smack Jellal's head into any of the walls. He walked up another flight of stairs and stopped in front of a wide set of doors that led to a suite on the top floor. Grabbing a key, he unlocked the door and stepped into the suite, Jellal's head lightly smacking against the door frame.

Suji mentally smacked himself as he muttered, "Oops!"

"Whaa.. Where am I?" Jellal asked blearily, his eyes fluttering.

Suji answered him by smacking Jellal's head into the doorframe a few times harder. Jellal's eyes rolled back as he passed out yet again. Suji sighed and hefted Jellal onto the bed, then walked over to the drapes covering the balcony and shut them, tying them off with the touch of a clasp lacrima. Walking over to the washroom, Suji grabbed a clean towel, an unused soap dish, and a rechargeable water lacrima from the cupboard next to the scallop shell sink. Exiting the washroom, he dragged a chair over to Jellal and began wiping the blood from his face.

After sluicing the last remnants of blood from Jellal's face, Suji stood up and dropped the now pink towel in the laundry basket next to the dresser. He watched as a blue magic circle absorbed the towel and teleported it to the top of the dresser with nary a spot upon it, then moved the chair back to its original location and slipped out of the room, closing the door with a soft thump. Pressing against the lock with his index finger, Suji slid the deadbolt back in place. A slight shimmer surrounded the door as a shield enveloped the room within and hid its inhabitant from any prying eyes.

Suji sighed and ran a hand through his hair as he thought to himself, _Well, I'm glad that I paid for that addition after Makarov needed to hide when his guildlings blew up the old Master's Hall._

Dusting his hands, he made his way back down the stairs.

_Jellal's heart pounded as he sensed the predator in the sky drawing closer to him. He dodged between a stand of trees as he hurriedly exclaimed, "Heavenly Body Magic: Meteor!" and took off in a trail of dust. He sensed that the mages were nearby, hurt, but still standing together as a group. As he crested a ridge, he saw the Tenrou team standing in a circle, hands linked with the person next to them. The dragon hovered several hundred feet above the island and began to breathe in, visible tendrils of air screaming as they were forced down the dragon's gullet. Jellal made to rush down and save Erza, but a presence appearing at his side caused him to instead step back from the precipice and look at the new intruder._

_A slim blonde-haired waif of a girl hovered several inches in the air, smiling up at Jellal. He drew back in apprehension, but relaxed as he felt her aura of tranquility wash over him._

_She whispered softly, "Hello, shade of Erza's heart. I drew you here from your dreams to witness what will happen shortly to those you cherish in this world. You must research this new foe!"_

_Jellal's eyes crinkled, tears glimmering within them. The girl patted his hand and then focused her attention on the Tenrou team below them. She clasped her hands together, ghostly Fairy Tail insignias rapidly flowing through the air around her. As the dragon unleashed its breath, the girl swung her arms out to her sides and sent each insignia out to the edges of the island. Jellal watched in horror as the pillar of air slammed down into Erza, and then all sight was lost to him of the team._

_As his consciousness faded, the girl's voice slipped into his mind, "I, Mavis Vermillion, first master of Fairy Tail, promise you this; be of strong heart and know that you will one day see them again. Go now, back to your own time. I look forward to our future meeting under less dire circumstances."_

Jellal sat up rapidly, his heart pounding within his chest. He wondered aloud to himself, "Was that a dream?" Glancing down at his shaking hands, his eyebrows drew up in surprise as he noticed Mavis's Fairy Tail insignia wavering over both palms. Closing his hands, he bowed his head, tears trickling onto his clenched fists.

_I will avenge you, Erza._

* * *

><p><span><strong>AN:** Before anybody asks, I'm writing this so that Jellal took the wrong meaning from Mavis's words and believes Erza to be –gasp- dead! Why? Because I want to have fun with writing a semi-crazed Jellal for the next couple of chapters.

**A/N:** Whoo, it's been quite some time since I last wrote a chapter for this story! I apologize for the delay, all! I'm going to try and update the story at least more than once every six months. I'm done with college for a bit, so YAY!


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